To produce hydrocarbons from a reservoir in an earth sub-surface, one or more wellbores are drilled into the earth sub-surface to intersect the reservoir. The wellbores are completed by installing casings or liners, packers, tubings or pipes, valves, and other components. Perforations are also formed at one or more zones in the wellbores, with hydrocarbons flowing through the perforations into the wellbores.
To enhance the productivity of a reservoir, multiple lateral bores are drilled from a main wellbore to increase the interface area between the reservoir and the well. Following the drilling of lateral bores from a main wellbore, the junction of the main wellbore and each lateral bore is completed with a junction assembly.
Typically, the junction assembly defines a sealed path from a lateral bore into the main wellbore to enable the flow of hydrocarbons from the reservoir into the lateral bore, through the junction assembly into the main wellbore, and up to the surface of the well.
One of the concerns associated with junction assemblies is that leaks may occur at the junction due to defective components. Usually, such leaks are not detected until after completion of the junctions of a well. For example, a well operator may detect leaks in the junction assemblies during well operation that prevent proper operation of the well. If that occurs, then the well operator will have to perform an expensive intervention operation to fix the faulty junction assembly. Intervention operations are typically time consuming and expensive. In addition to hauling heavy equipment to a well site, the well operator usually has to shut down the well. Well interventions are especially expensive in subsea applications, where it is difficult to move intervention equipment to a well site and to lower the intervention equipment into the subsea well.